Aerodynamic storage unit for truck bed

ABSTRACT

An aerodynamic storage unit is designed for a truck bed with a load floor that extends between a pair of longitudinal side walls. This storage unit has an inner wall which is spaced apart from one of the pair of longitudinal side walls so that a storage space is defined between the inner wall and the side wall. The inner wall member has a lower edge located on the load floor and an upper edge which is joined to the side wall. At least a portion of the inner wall member between the upper and lower edges is outwardly inclined. At least one access opening is provided in the inner wall. A door is located in the access opening. The door has a lower edge which is connected to the inner wall using a hinge, and an upper end. The lower end of the door is closer to the load floor than the upper end of the door. The operates to open inwardly so that the storage space can be accessed through the opening when the door is opened.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/687,514, filed Oct. 13, 2000, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/470,006, filed Dec. 22, 1999, whichclaims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Serial No.60/113,297, filed Dec. 22, 1998. The entire contents of each applicationbeing incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to original equipment orafter-market storage units for truck beds and, more specifically, to astorage unit that is aerodynamically shaped.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Pickup trucks and other vehicles often suffer from a lack ofsufficient storage space. For example, there is no place in the bed of apickup truck for the storage of small items. An operator is required toeither leave small items loose in the bed or to add an after-market toolbox of some type. These operators prefer that the truck bed includestorage space integrated with the bed such that stored items are notloose in the bed and, preferably, that the storage space be securablesuch as by locking. However, one of the biggest benefits to a truck isits ability to transport large items, such as 4 by 8 foot sheets ofdrywall and plywood. Therefore, operators prefer that any storage deviceprovided in the bed of the truck not interfere with the carryingcapacity of the truck. Currently available after-market truck tool boxestypically suffer several drawbacks. First, they are not well integratedwith the truck and therefore may have a poor aesthetic appearance. Thebox is also typically positioned transversely, side to side, across thefront of the truck bed, thereby interfering with storage of long itemsin the truck bed. Therefore, there remains a need for storage units fortruck beds that integrate well with the truck bed and do not interferewith the ability to transport large, and especially long, items. It isalso desirable that such a storage unit provide a pleasing aestheticappearance and allow for a locking storage area. Finally, it would bedesirable that such a storage unit provide aerodynamic benefits over aconventional truck bed. It is generally desirable to improve theaerodynamics of the vehicle. Improving a vehicle's aerodynamics oftenleads to an improvement in fuel economy. Also, improving aerodynamicsmay also positively benefit wind noise.

[0004] There have been numerous attempts to solve the pickup truckstorage problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,971 to Sisler and U.S.Pat. No. 4,705,317 to Henri both show pickup truck storage boxesdesigned to be positioned longitudinally within the pickup truck bedagainst the sides of the bed. These storage boxes are approximately thesame length of the truck bed and have recesses in their undersides forproviding clearance over the wheel wells in the truck bed. These boxesprovide the advantages that they utilize space in the truck beds that isoften not used, without interfering with the majority of the floor areaof the truck bed. However, these storage boxes suffer from severaldrawbacks. First, they have a poor aesthetic appearance and do notintegrate well with the truck bed. Also, as best shown in the Henripatent, storage units are typically accessed by opening a lid positionedat the top of the storage boxes. The pivot for these tops is typicallylocated at the outboard edge of the box so that the lid opens outwardly.This makes it difficult for a user of the box to access the contents ofthe box by reaching over the side of the truck. Specifically, the lid ofthe box would be in the way if someone tried to reach over the side.This presents a significant inconvenience. These boxes also offer noaerodynamic benefits.

[0005] Another approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,969 toSimnacher. Like the previously discussed patents, Simnacher discloses alongitudinal storage box that is positioned adjacent the side wall ofthe truck bed so as to not interfere with the load floor. In addition,Simnacher provides hydraulic lifts for raising the storage box upwardly.The box is accessed by opening lids on the upper surface that are hingedat the inner edge of the box. That is, the lids open inwardly. When thebox is lifted hydraulically upwardly, these doors are accessible fromthe exterior of the truck bed. The Simnacher device is needlesslycomplicated and, like the previous boxes, provides no aerodynamicbenefits. Also, the Simnacher device can only be easily accessed fromthe outside of the truck once it is hydraulically lifted upwardly. This,also, may be inconvenient.

[0006] An additional drawback to the previously described devices isthat they cannot be easily used with a Tonneau cover. U.S. Pat. No.5,620,124 to Geier attempts to address this problem. Specifically, theGeier patent discloses a saddle bag-like storage device that issupported on the inside of the truck bed by straps which attach to theTonneau cover frame. This approach may be beneficial for some users withTonneau covers, however, its use is limited thereto and does not providesecure, well-integrated storage.

[0007] Pickup trucks are used for many different applications, includingtowing fifth-wheel trailers, a type of trailer in which the front of thetrailer rests on a hitch in the center of the truck bed. It is desirablethat a storage box does not interfere with this use. An approach to thisspecific problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,500 to Ingerson et al.A storage box is provided which fits in the bed of the truck adjacent tothe tailgate and is shaped so as to fit under the front of thefifth-wheel trailer. This storage device is well-suited to its intendedapplication but is less desirable to those who do not use a fifth-wheeltrailer. Specifically, the storage box seriously interferes with the useof the load floor by blocking access to the load floor.

[0008] An improvement on transverse storage boxes is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 4,635,992 to Hamilton et al. This patent discloses a storage boxthat is positioned transversely adjacent the front wall of the truckbed. However, unlike previous approaches, in which the truck box ismounted in place, the Hamilton box is mounted to a pair of railsallowing the box to be moved forwardly and backwardly in the bed. Thisallows a user to slide the box to the rear limit of the truck for easieraccess or removal. This makes for easier access to the box, but the boxseriously interferes with use of the load floor by shortening the bed.Also, the bed must be empty to roll the box rearwardly. Finally, theHamilton device does not provide any aerodynamic benefits.

[0009] There have also been numerous attempts to improve theaerodynamics of pickup trucks. For example, tailgates may be removedand/or replaced with a net to close off the back of the bed. Thissupposedly improves the flow of air through the bed by removing a wallat its rear. Tonneau covers and pickup truck caps also recontour the bedto provide aerodynamic benefits. Yet another approach is shown in U.S.Pat. No. 5,743,589 to Felker. A wind deflector is provided which extendsangularly upwardly from the rear of the truck bed to the top of thetailgate so as to improve air flow over the tailgate. When not in use,the wind deflector may be folded flushed into the bed of the truck.While this approach may provide some aerodynamic benefits, it does notprovide for any storage.

[0010] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,232,259 to Booker and 4,938,398 to Hallsenattempt a combination of aerodynamic improvement and storage. In eachcase, a storage box is positioned adjacent the tailgate of the truck andarranged transversely side to side across the width of the truck bed.The boxes generally have a triangular cross-section with an angledforward surface. This angled surface directs wind upwardly over thetailgate. These storage boxes each suffer from the drawback that theyinterfere with use of the load floor of the truck bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention overcomes many of the shortcomings of theprior art. An aerodynamic storage unit is provided which utilizes thespace along the longitudinal side walls of the truck bed. Such a truckbed typically has a load floor and a pair of spaced apart longitudinalside walls. The storage unit according to the present invention has aninner wall member which is disposed in a spaced apart relationship withone of the pair of longitudinal side walls, so as to define a storagespace between the side wall and the inner wall member. The inner wallmember has a lower edge which is disposed on the load floor and an upperedge which is joined to the side wall. At least a portion of the innerwall member between the upper and lower edges is outwardly inclined. Atleast one access opening is defined in the inner wall member andcommunicates with the storage space. A door is disposed in the accessopening. The door has a lower end which is hingedly attached to theinner wall member and an upper end. The lower end is closest to the loadfloor and the upper end is farthest from the load floor. The door opensinwardly, whereby when the door is opened inwardly the storage space canbe accessed through the opening. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, a stowable tailgate is also provided which stows in a supportframe mounted below the load floor. In other embodiments, additionalaccess openings and/or doors are provided. Also, an aerodynamic unit maybe provided without access openings or doors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a truck including integratedaerodynamic storage units according to the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the truck with the side wallof the track bed cut away to show the storage unit;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the storage unit of FIG. 2taken along lines 3-3;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of a secondembodiment of a storage unit according to the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of an optional tailgatearrangement for use with various embodiments of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of a stamping for use with thepresent invention;

[0018]FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of a third embodiment of astorage unit according to the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a truck with the bedpartially cut away and a fourth embodiment of a storage unit accordingto the present invention installed thereon;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional rear view of yet another storage unit;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of astowable tailgate design for use with the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 11A is a detailed view of the hinge design used for thestowable tailgate of FIG. 10;

[0023]FIG. 11B is a detailed view similar to FIG. 11A but with thetailgate removed from the hinge assembly;

[0024]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a stowabletailgate design for use with the present invention; and

[0025]FIG. 13 is a top view of the design of FIG. 12 showing themovement of the mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of an aerodynamic storageunit according to the present invention is shown. A truck 10 has a cab12 and a bed 14 with two sides 15 that run front to rear and are spacedapart so as to define a load floor 18. In this embodiment, each of thesides 15 of the truck 10 are formed as aerodynamic storage units 16according to the present invention. That is, the first embodiment of thepresent invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is an original equipmentaerodynamic storage unit system which takes the place of traditionalsides on a pickup truck bed. Therefore, the sides and aerodynamicstorage unit will be used interchangeably for this embodiment.

[0027] For ease of description, the load floor 18 of the bed 14 isdefined as having a front edge 22 at the front wall 23, adjacent the cab12 of the truck 10. The load floor 18 extends rearwardly from the frontedge 22 to a rear edge 24 which is generally parallel to the front edge22 and spaced therefrom by a distance of several feet, typically 6 or 8feet. Therefore, the length of the load floor 18 is defined as thedistance between the front edge 22 and the rear edge 24. The load floor18 extends widthwise between a pair of side edges 26 which are generallyparallel to one another and perpendicular to the front 22 and rear 24edges. Normal pickup truck beds have wheel wells which extend upwardlyfrom their load floor to allow clearance for the rear wheels of thetruck. The side-to-side distance between the wheel wells is typically atleast four feet in order to allow 4×8 foot sheets of building materialsto be stacked flat on the load floor. Similarly, it is preferred thatthe side edges 26 of the load floor 18 be spaced at least four feetapart so that a truck 10 including the aerodynamic storage units 16retains the ability to transport sheets of building material.

[0028] As shown, the truck bed 14 includes two aerodynamic storage units16 with one arranged lengthwise at each side edge 26 of the load floor18. The aerodynamic storage units 16 each include inner walls 20 whichextend generally upwardly from the side edges 26 of the load floor 18.Each aerodynamic storage unit 16 also includes outer walls 28 which arespaced from the inner walls 20 and help to define the sides of the truck10. Therefore, the outer walls 28 would typically be painted body colorto match the remainder of the truck 10. The inner walls 20 and outerwalls 28 are joined to one another by top surfaces 30. Together, theinner walls 20, outer walls 28 and top surfaces 30 cooperate to definean interior storage space inside each of the storage units 16. As shown,at least a portion of the inner wall is inclined outwardly. Preferably,the outward incline is at least 10 degrees relative to the vertical.Alternatively, the outward incline may be only five degrees or may bemore than 10 degrees. A pair of access openings 32 are defined in eachof the aerodynamic storage units 16 to allow access to the storage spacedefined therein. As shown, the openings 32 in the inner wall 20 of eachof the aerodynamic storage unit 16 can extend partially around into thetop surfaces 30. Doors 34 are positioned in each of the openings 32,such that they open inwardly towards the center of the load floor 18.The doors 34 are pivotally connected with the remainder of theaerodynamic storage unit 16 near the bottom of the doors 34, adjacentthe load floor 18.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 2, the inner wall 20, openings 32 and doors34 are again shown. Also shown in this figure is a wheel well 36 whichis defined within the interior of the aerodynamic storage unit 16. Asshown, the wheel well 36 takes part of the interior storage space withinthe storage unit 16. That is, the wheel well 36 extends upwardly intothe bottom of the storage unit 16. The doors 34 and openings 32 arepositioned such that they access storage space primarily forwardly andrearwardly of the wheel well 36. This allows for efficient spaceutilization.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 3, details of the doors 34 will bediscussed in more detail. Each door 34 has an upper edge 38 and a loweredge 40. The doors 34 are interconnected with the remainder of theaerodynamic storage unit 16 by hinge 42 adjacent the lower edge 40 ofthe door 34. A latch 44 is also shown for latching the door 34 in itsclosed position. As will be clear to one of skill in the art, the latch44 may be any of many different designs, including locking andnon-locking latches. Also, the latch 44 may be positioned in differentlocations than the location shown. Also shown in FIG. 3, the aerodynamicstorage unit 16 includes a bottom surface 46 which cooperates with theinner wall 20, outer wall 28 and top surface 30 to define an interiorstorage space 48 within the aerodynamic storage unit 16. Also as shown,the door 34 may include a storage bin 50 defined on its inner surface soas to reside in the interior storage space 48 when the door 34 isclosed. The storage bin 50 is preferably shaped so as to take advantageof most of the interior storage 48. Items to be stored may be placedinside the storage bin 50, which has an upper opening 52. When the door34 is tilted inwardly towards the center of the load floor 18, itemsstored in the storage bin 50 are easily accessible through the upperopening 52. Items stored in storage bin 50 may be accessed either overthe side of the truck or from inside the bed.

[0031] That is, when the door 34 is opened, the opening 52 in thestorage unit 50 faces upwardly allowing access from either inside oroutside the truck bed. Also, because the door 34 tilts inwardly, ratherthan upwardly, it does not interfere with anything placed above the sideof the truck, such as a cap, Tonneau cover, or fifth-wheel trailer. Eachdoor 34 preferably includes a gas-filled strut 35 to assist in openingand closing the door 34.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. In this embodiment, the door 34 does not include astorage bin, as in the previous embodiment. Instead, items to be storedare placed in the interior storage space 48.

[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the storage units 16 aredesigned so as to be aerodynamic. As shown, the inner wall 20 of eachstorage unit 16 is generally outwardly sloped and curves into the topsurface 30 so as to give a smoothly curved surface that is bothaerodynamically efficient and aesthetically pleasing. As shown in FIG.1, the storage units 16 each include a rear face 54 which includeslights 56 such as tail lights and backup lights. In addition, the rearface 54 may include vents 57 to allow air to flow out of the unit 16.The vents 57 may be designed as one way vents to prevent contaminationfrom flowing into the unit 16. Also shown in FIG. 1, the truck bed 14preferably does not include a traditional tailgate. Removal of thetailgate provides aerodynamic advantages by preventing air from beingtrapped and swirled in the bed. The shape of the storage unit 16enhances this benefit. Traditionally, removing the tailgate isdisadvantageous because items being stored in the bed 14 of the truck 10could fall off the rear edge 24 of the load floor 18 while the vehicleis being driven. Because the storage unit 16 provides areas to storeitems, small items will typically not reside on the load floor 18 andtherefore the tailgate is not required to retain them.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternative tailgate arrangement foruse with various embodiments of the present invention is shown. In thisembodiment, a tailgate 60 is stored inside the load floor 18 of thetruck bed 14 when not in use, as shown by the solid lines. When thetailgate 60 is needed, it is pulled out of the load floor 18 as shown bythe dotted lines and folded upwardly against the rear face of the bed14.

[0035] Referring back to FIG. 1, an optional tailgate 60 is shownlocated below the load floor 18. As will be apparent to one of skill inthe art, the tailgate 60 is shaped such that it mates with the rearfaces 54 of the aerodynamic storage units 16. This arrangement allowsthe tailgate to be stored during normal usage of the truck 10 and tomove so as to close off the rear of the load floor 18 when necessary.

[0036] Referring again to FIG. 1, the aerodynamic storage units 16 maybe designed in a variety of ways. As shown, the outer walls 28 have arelatively vertical appearance designed to maximize the interior space48. Alternatively, the aerodynamic storage unit 16 may be designed so asto utilize normal exterior sheet metal so that the outer walls 28 areactually the same as the exterior sheet metal of a normal truck bed. Inthis way, a truck may be offered with and without the interior bedstorage units 16, with each variety having the same exterior appearance.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 6, a stamping 62 is shown for use withexisting truck side panels. Stamping 62 includes the inner walls 20 ofthe storage units as well as the load floor 18. The stamping 62 may beprovided to manufacturers so that they may attach their exterior sheetmetal thereto. For this purpose, the stamping 62 is provided with outerflanges 64 to which the normal exterior sheet metal may be welded orotherwise attached.

[0038] Thus far, the aerodynamic storage units have been discussed asoriginal equipment units which would be installed at the factory andintegrated with either new or existing sheet metal. A storage unitaccording to the present invention can also be provided as anafter-market retrofit to allow owners of existing trucks to modify theirtruck bed to provide the advantages of the present invention. Referringnow to FIG. 7, a portion of a load floor 70 and side wall 72 of anexisting truck bed are shown. As shown, the side wall 72 includes a taillight 74. A wheel well 76 extends upwardly from the load floor 70 andinwardly from the side wall 72. In this embodiment, the aerodynamicstorage unit 78 includes an inner wall 80 which extends upwardly andoutwardly from the existing load floor 70 and curves so as to join thetop of the side wall 72. A door 82 is positioned in the inner wall 80,similar to the earlier embodiments. An owner of an existing truck mayadd the storage unit 78 to provide additional storage and may thenremove the tailgate, or leave it down, to gain additional aerodynamicbenefits. Obviously, as with the prior embodiments, the storage unit 78may come in a variety of configurations, such as with or without astorage bin on the door 82.

[0039] Thus far, the aerodynamic storage units have been discussed ashaving a pair of doors. However, other variations are possible on eachof the embodiments thus far discussed. For example, as shown in FIG. 8,each aerodynamic storage unit may include one large door 84 instead oftwo small doors. As another alternative, as shown in FIG. 9, the storageunits may not include doors and instead include openings 85 in the innerwall of the storage unit so that items 86 to be stored may be placed inthrough the openings 85 and rest therein. Obviously, the openings 84 or85 may be of various shapes and sizes. Alternatively, each storage unitmay include one door and one opening instead of two openings. If onedoor and one opening is combined in the storage unit, it is preferredthat the door be positioned towards the front half of the storage unitand the opening without a door be positioned towards the rear. Asdiscussed earlier, with reference to FIG. 1, the rear face of eachstorage unit may include vents to allow air to flow out of the storageunit. These vents are particularly important with the embodiment of FIG.9. The vents allow air to flow into the openings 84 and out through thevents thereby reducing turbulence in the truck bed.

[0040] As yet another embodiment, the inner wall may include no openingsand be designed to provide just the aerodynamic benefits without thestorage benefits. For example, a storage unit may be installed on oneside of a bed and a matched aerodynamic inner wall installed on theother. This would provide aerodynamic and aesthetic benefits where lessstorage is required.

[0041] As will be clear to one of skill in the art, many variations onthe above discussed embodiments may be made. For example, while it isenvisioned that the various components of the storage units be made fromsteel or other metal, they may alternatively be made from plastic suchas sheet molding compound or out of any other material suitable to thetask. Also, many variations, other than those discussed, may be made onthe configurations of the doors and openings of the storage units. Forexample, two openings may be provided in the inner wall of the storageunit with only one of the openings having a door with the other openingremaining open. Also, the aerodynamic storage unit may be designed forspecific applications, such as to store specific types of tools ormaterials. The doors and openings may be varied in shape, size andconfiguration so as to suit a variety of tasks. Also, the storage unitsmay be provided in a modular fashion such that doors with storage binsmay be later added to units that originally had openings, and viceversa. As another alternative, electrical power may be provided tooutlets inside the storage units so that various tools and accessoriesmay be powered therein. Also, accessories such as radios may beintegrated with the storage units. Also, while the present invention hasbeen discussed for use with trucks, the present invention may also bemodified for use with other vehicles, such as cars.

[0042] As discussed earlier, in one preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, a stowable tailgate is provided for use with the aerodynamicstorage units. This enhances the aerodynamic benefits while stillallowing use of the tailgate when needed. Referring to FIG. 10, a firstembodiment of a stowable tailgate 90 is shown. A truck 92 is shown inphantom lines in FIG. 10 and has a load floor 94. An upper mountingplate 96 is mounted under the load floor 94. Though not shown, acorresponding lower mounting plate is mounted a short distance below andparallel to the upper mounting plate 96 so as to define a spacetherebetween. The stowable tailgate 90 is hingedly interconnected with asupport plate 98 which is sandwiched between the upper mounting plate 96and the lower mounting plate. The support plate 98 includes a tab 100that projects into a slot 102 in the upper mounting plate 96. With thetailgate 90 in its downward position, as shown, it may be pushed intothe space between the upper mounting plate 96 and the lower mountingplate. The support plate 98 moves with it thereby moving the tab 100 tothe rear of the slot 102. In FIG. 10, the tab 100 is shown in itsrearmost position, where the tab would be located with the tailgatefully stowed. This embodiment of a stowable tailgate merely illustratesone possible approach to providing such a tailgate. Preferably, thetailgate 90 may also be removable, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. Thatis, an outer ring 104 may be mounted to the rearmost edge of the supportplate 98 with a corresponding pivot tab 106 on the tailgate 90 beingreceived therein.

[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, an alternative approach toproviding a stowable tailgate 108 is shown. A support frame 110 isprovided which is designed to be mounted to the under side of the loadfloor of a pickup truck bed. The support frame has a pair oflongitudinal support rails 112 which are parallel to one another andspaced apart by approximately the width of the tailgate 108. Thetailgate 108 is hingably interconnected with a transverse support bar114 which extends between and is supported by the support rails 112.Engagement members 116 extend from each end of the support bar 114 andpass around the support rails 112. To stow the tailgate 108, it ispushed towards the support frame 110 such that the support bar 114slides along the support rails 112. This stowage operation is best shownin FIG. 13. To further guide the support bar 114 as it travels along therails 112, a scissor mechanism 118 is provided. The scissor mechanism118 consists of two scissor links 120 which each interconnect with theends of the support bar 114. The links 120 cross one another and engageslots 122 in the rear of the frame 110. Though not shown, the links 120are either interconnected such that their pivot point may move or slotsare provided in the support bar 114. As shown in FIG. 12, with thetailgate in a non-stowed position, the links 120 form an “X” with thelinks close to perpendicular to one another. As the tailgate is stowedand the support bar 114 moves rearwardly, the links are pivoted suchthat they move to a position much closer to parallel to one another, asshown in FIG. 13. As will be clear to those of skill in the art, thescissor mechanism 118 may in addition include springs or otherassistance devices to assist in stowing and unstowing the tailgate 108.Also, preferably, a closure plate of some type is provided below thesupport frame 110 for sealing the stowage mechanism from road debris.This helps the tailgate to remain stowable under all conditions.

[0044] As will be clear to one of skill in the art, the presentinvention may be modified in various ways without departing from theintent or teachings of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoingspecification and drawings should be interpreted broadly.

I claim:
 1. An aerodynamic truck bed comprising: a pair of spaced apartlongitudinal side walls each having an corresponding outer wall andinner wall, each of said inner walls disposed in a spaced apartrelationship with said corresponding outer wall; a generally horizontalload floor extending between said side walls; each of said inner wallshaving a lower edge disposed on said load floor and an upper edge joinedto said corresponding outer wall, at least a portion of each of saidinner walls being outwardly inclined; and a stowable tailgate assemblycomprising a support frame mounted under said load floor and a tailgate,said tailgate having a first position wherein said tailgate is disposedin said support frame and a second position wherein said tailgateextends therefrom.
 2. The aerodynamic truck bed according to claim 1,wherein said stowable tailgate assembly further comprises a support barpivotally attached to said tailgate, said support bar being slidablysupported under said load floor by said support frame.
 3. Theaerodynamic truck bed according to claim 1, further comprising an accessopening defined in one of said inner walls for access to a storage spacedefined between said inner wall and said corresponding outer wall. 4.The aerodynamic truck bed according to claim 3, further comprising adoor disposed in said access opening.
 5. The aerodynamic truck bedaccording to claim 4, wherein said door has a lower end hingedlyattached to said inner wall and a upper end, said lower end beingclosest to said load floor and said upper end being farthest from saidload floor, said door operable to open inwardly, whereby when said dooris opened inwardly, said storage space can be accessed through theopening.
 6. The aerodynamic storage unit according to claim 1, whereinsaid door has an inner surface, a storage bin being supported on saidinner surface so that said storage bin is accessible when said door isopen.
 7. The aerodynamic storage unit according to claim 1, wherein saidoutwardly inclined portion of said inner wall is inclined at least 5degrees from vertical.
 8. The aerodynamic storage unit according toclaim 1, wherein said outwardly inclined portion of said inner wall isinclined at least 10 degrees from vertical.
 9. An aerodynamic truck bedcomprising: a pair of spaced apart longitudinal side walls each havingan corresponding outer wall and inner wall, each of said inner wallsdisposed in a spaced apart relationship with said corresponding outerwall; and a generally horizontal load floor extending between said sidewalls; each of said inner walls having a lower edge disposed on saidload floor and an upper edge joined to said corresponding outer wall, atleast a portion of each of said inner walls being outwardly inclined.10. The aerodynamic storage unit according to claim 9, wherein saidoutwardly inclined portion of said inner wall is inclined at least 5degrees from vertical.
 11. The aerodynamic storage unit according toclaim 9, wherein said outwardly inclined portion of said inner wall isinclined at least 10 degrees from vertical.